Now let's get one thing straight. Before this planned meet-up, I'd honestly never heard of Danville, KY. Well, I only know of one story that Andy has told me about how, when he was in a band in his early 20's, they played a show at a Centre College (which is in Danville) frat house. They were-in turn banned from Centre due to leaving a few prohibited things around - a.k.a. kegs of beer/beer bottles. Why such a harsh punishment? Well, up until May 2010, Danville was a "dry" city - meaning no purchasing of alcohol (which is a little crazy right?) So since the law was passed to declare Danville "wet", the city has blossomed with a few new restaurants and pubs - something us foodies were ready and willing to explore!
Our first stop? V the Market. It was a quaint little shop full of wine bottles, loads of different kinds of beer (many sold by the bottle, not the 6-pack - which is a sure sign you'll find great beer), bourbons, hand-picked cheeses, chocolates, and other gourmet treats.
Next was Mermaids where we enjoyed sipping on two different types of signature cocktails - the Porch Punch & Mermaid Punch. Both were delicious and unique! Definitely made me want to lounge around on a beach somewhere with one of those in hand! We were also served a small plate of 3 different appetizer-type dishes: prosciutto-wrapped prawn, slice of local beef, and a cucumber-wrapped slice of ahi tuna with a wasabi sauce. All three of which were mighty tasty!
Next we dove into the local pizza joint, Bluegrass Pizza & Pub - which definitely had similarities to Louisville's own Wick's Pizza (which isn't my favorite because I'm a New York, thin slice-pizza kinda gal) - but Bluegrass was definitely spot-on with their traditional-style pizza and I would prefer them to Wick's any day. Sorry Wick's!
Then came my personal favorite stop of the night, The Beer Engine. I mean, the location of this place says it all - if you didn't know it was there, you'd be sorry because you'd be missing out! It's kind of secluded in the back area of a parking lot, with just an emblem of a skull and "hops"-bones marking the door. The logo is sheer awesomeness in my opinion. We got to do a tasting of a few beers that they had on tap (and they had quite a selection!), and all were mighty tasty. This is definitely the kind of place you can find yourself hanging out with friends over a few beers on a regular basis!
We ended the night at The Hub Coffee House & Cafe. While I didn't indulge in any coffee, we winded down, ate cupcakes from The Twisted Sifter and chatted with eachother about our night. We were given goodie bags from Karamel Kreations & Burke's Bakery Delicatessen - and I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures of the contents of the bags - I snacked on the goodies during my hour and a half trip home! I couldn't resist!
For our first meet-up, I thought this was successful night! I got to meet an amazing group of people - all unique in their own ways - and we all got to share in a tour of one of Kentucky's hidden gems of a city - Danville. Seriously, if you're in Kentucky, or driving through Kentucky - Danville is well worth a visit! I know I'll be back!
And I want to take a moment to thank Mindy from The World in My Kitchen (who has a great review up on her blog, as well!) and Adam from the Danville Boyle Co Convention & Visitors Bureau for setting this whole evening up and letting us experience Danville!
